Approximate dynamics using Hamilton's principle, including applications to non-conservative and constrained systems

Abstract

There has been recent interest in simulating the dynamical behavior of mechanical systems using approximate techniques based on Hamilton's principle. A method is presented which does not require the user to form partial derivatives of the energy function and produces a solution which is an explicit function of time, not a numerical solution. The method is shown to be suitable for both multidegree of freedom and constrained systems; in the latter case being markedly superior to existing techniques.